The great pigeon show in Nuremberg 24th-26th of November 2006 was the great event in the German pigeon scene and covered from no. 1, an aviary with blue-bronce laced Cauchois, to no. 33,524, a yellow laced Strasser hen, near to 34,000 pigeons.

 An interesting starting point for those interested in genetics always is the class for new breeds and new color classes which includes the development of new breeds, new colorations within an existing breed and the introduction of new foreign breeds. The procedure is considered necessary to get them excepted as standard breeds or colors. Otherwise in general they may not be shown at exhibitions with some restrictive exception for the newly introduced AOC class. There are two different procedures. Unknown colorations, new breeds and not yet accepted foreign breeds usually have to be presented the first time in a class “Sichtungen”, that means only to present the birds without getting a judgement. If the breeding idea is accepted by the responsible committee the birds are show the next year in the class “Vorstellungen = presentation” and judged according to the continental system.

In the following a short review of the pigeons presented in this class is given. The photos may be seen in the report in German language in the same order.

From the French breed Gier silver bars (diluted blue bar) in the monked variety and ash red checkered Soultz Crests were presented with good results (50% very good sg) as additional standard colors. White Soultz Crests were shown the first time and were not yet as typical as the red checkers. 

Carriers in black grizzle, blue grizzle and red grizzle were announced, however, shown were more pencil-like birds and not typical grizzles. The coloration “dark veined” of the Danzig Highfliers is very similar to the presented birds. Red veined Spaniards look also similar but are more distinct in the lacing and have a red and not the whitish head of the Carriers shown. The birds were a wild pack and it was near to impossible to make a good photo.

German Modena were shown in three related colors, ice barred, ice barless and checkered. The former Italian Modena since some years are named Triganino Modena and appeared in dark (black T-patten) bronze shield. Up to now we have only three standard colors from numerous existing in Italy in the German standard, e.g. the attractive black Gazzi bronze bars. Saxon Croppers in light blue with white bars (dominant opal blue bars) were appraised with good and very good as grades and had considerably improved especially in the quality of the coloration in the last years.

“Light grey with dark lacing”, that is the translation of a color available in the Cologne Tumbler, and that was the coloration shown under the incomplete heading “dunkel-gesäumt” in the Turingian Shields. In addition some were shown in an aviary. Genetically they are Spread reduced and they differed a little bit in the intensity of their dark lacing. For sure the breeders will need some lee-ways between a darker and lighter lacing. Cage no. 26370 (photo) was at the darker end.

Thuringian Crests yellow barless were presented (Sichtung) the second time. Glanztauben (Glance pigeons), black with a peak crest, represented a heavier type compared to the first entries and got in their majority grades of very good and good. Fire pigeons, black with much glance, were still mentioned by the old German literature of the 19^th century (e.g. Neumeister) and are told in the very old literature to have popped out in some strains of Archangels. Plain headed black selfs also appear in the strains of South German Tiger Heads today, that was the reason only to accept crested Glance Pigeons and not plain-headed.

The Swiss Luzern Shield Pigeons were exhibited in red laced (8) and yellow laced (1) and will add to the still excepted standard colors. They are similar to red laced Old German Shield Owls. I guess that most of them and also most of the red laced Shield Owls genetically are Spread Ash, some of them resemble strawberry which are also basically Spread Ash with different modifiers.

Arabian Trumpeters are very popular and thus there is also the wish to get additional coloration standard colors. At this exhibition ash yellow bars were shown in good quality according to the grades. Altenburg Trumpeters were shown in “mehllicht”. Mehllicht means “light like meal” and is genetically diluted blue bar with a gold or yellow crescent at the breast.

Even African Owls appeared in a new outfit, andalusian. Interesting was the presentation of Old-Oriental Owls Satinette plain and peak crested in blue white bars and blue laced with spot tails. They survived the modernization in the Balkans and seem now to find new friends who prefer the more robust type of Owls which are represented also in the following breeds. Barbarisi-Owls originate from the North of Syria and are still accepted in the German Standard in several colorations. In Nuremberg in addition blue checkers were presented. Burmali Owls originate in Libanon and Syria and are peak crested small birds. They have colored cheeks which cause often problems with two-colored eyes. They have colored tails. The colors shown were blue bar, blue check and ash red bar. Half of the Habul-Rumman-Owls were graded with sg (very good). However, the pattern differed from white laced blue over dark white laced to silver laced Starling pattern. The name means pomegranate kernel and indicates the similarity of a sliced pomegranate to the wing pattern.

Danzig Hochfliers magpies in red and yellow were still shown before as were the dun and black Regensburg Tumblers, colors which are added to the still existing reds and yellows. Silver Felegyhazers will be a welcome addition to the still existing colors like black, yellow, red and blue of this attractive Hungarian breed. Genetically they are Spread milky.

North-Caucasian Tumblers with black, red and yellow tails were still shown in the previous year. Blacks were the more compact birds and had eye crests like the Pomeranian Eye Crested Highflyers. Eye crests seem to be part of the genetic make-up.

Moscow Tumblers in black are popular in Russia and an old breed. Compared to the similar Kaluga Tumblers the beak is shorter and thicker, the eye ceres are also more pronounced.

Bavarian Highfliers were shown as white with red and yellow shields. There was no information given about their ability to perform. In Russia similar shield tumblers exist.

Red Blagodar Rollers are double-crested birds with a white head and also a white back, and last not least ash yellow magpie tumblers made their attendance, all together more than 200 entries.